Henry Timken was born on August 16, 1831 in Bremen, Germany and died March 16, 1909 in San Diego, California. Henry Timken was a St. Louis carriage maker, and recognized that heavy freight wagons had a hard time making sharp turns. He applied a tapered roller bearing design that could handle both radial (weight) and thrust (cornering force) loads to try and fix the problem. There were several customer benefits from this. It ran more smoothly, and reduced repair and replacement costs. Due to the bearings, it caused for a fewer amount of mules to pull the carriages. Timken realized that the tapered roller bearing could improve product performance in many other ways as well. He and his sons, H.H. and William Timken, founded The Timken Roller Bearing and Axle Company and began building the business into what it is today.
Henry Timken founded the Timken Roller Bearing Company, that he later called the Timken Company in 1899. The Timken Company is located in Canton, Ohio. Immigrating to America as a child with his family, Timken left the family's Missouri farm to enter the wagon-making business. He opened his own company in St. Louis in 1855, and introduced several improvements to the carriages he produced, including his "Timken spring". William Robert Timken, Jr., Timken's great-grandson, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of The Timken Co, and who was the United States Ambassador to Germany, received the award on behalf of his great-grandfather. Henry Timken patented a tapered roller bearing design that made life easier for freight wagon operators and their mules.
Henry Timken founded the Timken Roller Bearing Company, that he later called the Timken Company in 1899. The Timken Company is located in Canton, Ohio. Immigrating to America as a child with his family, Timken left the family's Missouri farm to enter the wagon-making business. He opened his own company in St. Louis in 1855, and introduced several improvements to the carriages he produced, including his "Timken spring". William Robert Timken, Jr., Timken's great-grandson, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of The Timken Co, and who was the United States Ambassador to Germany, received the award on behalf of his great-grandfather. Henry Timken patented a tapered roller bearing design that made life easier for freight wagon operators and their mules.